Ampullae of Lorenzini (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The ampullae of Lorenzini are special sensing organs called electroreceptors, forming a network of jelly-filled canals. They are mostly discussed as being found in cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras); however, they are also reported to be found in Chondrostei such as Reedfish 1] and sturgeon. 2] Lungfish have also been reported to have them. 1] Teleosts have re-evolved a different type of electroreceptors. 2] They were first described by Stefano Lorenzini in 1678.Pores with ampullae of Lorenzini in snout of Tiger sharkThese organs help fish to sense electric fields in the water. Each ampulla consists of a jelly-filled canal opening to the surface by a pore in the skin and ending blindly in a cluster of small pockets full of special jelly. The ampullae are mostly clustered into groups inside the body, each cluster having ampullae connecting with different parts of the skin, but preserving a left-right symmetry. The canal lengths vary from animal to animal, but the distribution of the pores is generally specific to each species. The ampullae pores are plainly visible as dark spots in the skin.